Victor Herbert

In one of my aimless walks of upper west side, found this interesting plaque on 108th and Broadway (if I remember correctly), outside the house where the composer Victor Herbert lived. (Click on the image for higher-resolution picture).

Rememberig Roerich

Of the many museums of New York, there is a small, almost hidden, gem of a museum on the upper west side, The Roerich Museum. Setup in a house on 107th St, between Broadway and Riverside Dr., it houses a very representative collection of Roerich's paintings, books and a few portraits from his son, Svetoslav Roerich. Those Himalayan scenes rich in colour always leave a deep impression on my mind. The paintings have a way of occupying our minds, peace and quiet of the mountains seem to be around us.

Museum is free for all, and is open from 2PM to 5PM Tuesday - Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.

Magical Memories - 1

The moment I am recalling today happened around Feb 2009. This was a classical Hindustani concert in downtown manhattan, sewhere around soho. I went there with four of my friends, and I don,t even remember the artists :(. Please don't get me wrong - it was a very, very good concert. The aalaaps, the tunes lingered in my ears for quite sometime after the actual concert. But most importantly, I rember that day because that kicked off a long series of visits to other concerts and performances that form an unforgettable part of my new York life :).

My Golden Treasury - She Walks in Beauty

This, I should confess, is my The Poem - the one that gave me my favorite English poet. That true romantic, Lord Byron, has captured the spirit of romance and beauty as inseparably and touchingly as I could have dreamed for in this masterpiece. Full Text.
Incidentally, this was adopted for a musical, Phantom of the Opera, long time back - Youtube link.
And oh, I had even translated this to my mother-tongue, Kannada!!

My golden treasury - The Bridge of Sighs

After a long time I re-read one of my favorite poems: The Bridge of Sighs by Thomas Hood. Its smooth flow, the genuine feelings of beauty and sadness touch me like few other poems do. Ironically, this is the one poem whose translation is, at least for me, much more beautiful than the original: The famous Kannada translation DhukhaSetu (ದುಃಖ ಸೇತು - ಬಿ.ಎ೦.ಶ್ರೀ, ಇ೦ಗ್ಲಿಷ ಗೀತಗಳು). If you can read Kannada, do read that once - you will love poetry forever.

Why buy books?

Because it is the best way to support literature. Because collecting books give a sense of pride few other hobbies give. Because family libraries are built over generations, not days. Because our children grow up seeing things around them, playing with them. Because what we adore, and treasure for all our life, defines us.

Douglas Adams beyond the galaxy

Most if us know Douglas Adams as the genius who told us the adventures of Arthur Dent in Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. But you have not explores him fully until you have read Dirk Gently. I read the Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency recently - thoroughly enjoyed it. A pity Dirk's adventures have not come out in a single volume yet - you will have to buy them separately, but it is totally worth it!! Amazon link.

I am yet to read the next volume, The Long Dark Tea-time of the soul. If the first Dirk Adventure is anything of a clue, second must desereve much more than a tea-time glance. Amazon link.